SF 453 
.G5 
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The New Zealand Red Rabbit 
and Rabbit Culture 



G. P. GILMORE 




"RANGITERIA" 

(Meaning "Gentleman" in the language of the New Zealander). A Gilmore 
Farm Registered New Zealand Stud Buck. Note the splendid, medium long 
body and the long, well shaped ears. First prize Sr. Buck, Los Angeles, 
California, January, 1917. 






7^; ,^-r. J 

The New Zealand Red Rabbit 
and Rabbit Culture 



DEVOTED TO THE CARE AND BREEDING OF THE 
POPULAR NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 




FIRST EDITION 



Published by 

Pacific Coast Publishing Company 

Santa Barbara, California 



FOREWORD 




SRS-3 



The aim of this Httle book is to enlighten ail those interested in 
the New Zealand Red Rabbit and to help them to attain a degree of 
success that without its aid would require a much longer period of 
time and probably a much larger expenditure of capital. 

It is to familiarize breeders with the correctness of type and 
color markings of this splendid rabbit so as to enable them to direct 
with intelligence their efforts to secure better quality in their breed- 
ing stock. 

While the book is devoted principally to the New Zealand Red, 
I have tried to give enough general rabbit information to make the 
book well worth the price to anyone interested in rabbits; few 
breeders are more successful than I, and wliat I have written is 
based upon my successful methods. 

Yours very truly, 



'T^ 




•CI.A457«55 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



HOUSING, BREEDING, FEEDING 

AND GENERAL CARE OF NEW 

ZEALAND REDS 

(The following applies to practically 
all breeds of rabbits.) 

In housing rabbits there are three 
essentials to keep in mind, no matter 
what kind of climate or what part of 
the world, you live in. They are: 
Plenty of sunlight, pure fresh air and 
dry clean floors. If you give these 
to your rabbits your troubles in this 



be built on the order of the eastern 
poultry houses, built as a shed, leav- 
ing one side open and using a burlap 
curtain during cold nights and storms, 
or better still have a shed with large 
doors or windows on all sides that can 
be opened through the day and closed 
at night — leaving one side open with 
the burlap curtain at all times. 

Self-cleaning hutches could be used 
in these sheds, thereby eliminating 
much of the work and making a san^ 
itary rabbitry. We have discovered 




A ROW OF GILMORE'S SELF-CLEANING HUTCHES 

This picture was taken over a year ago, since then we have remodeled the entire 

rabbitry; the appearance of Ihe hutches, however, is very much the same 



line are over. By sunlight I do not 
mean direct sunshine, but the air that 
the sun shines on must be allowed to 
reach the rabbits. A great number, 
in fact most beginners, make the mis- 
take of placing their rabbits off in 
the corner of a dark barn, in a dark 
cellar, or in some other place that has 
practically no ventilation. This is es- 
pecially so in the cold states. Now a 
rabbit can stand a great deal of cold 
if the direct wind is not allowed to 
blow on it. In California hutches can 
be Built in the open, having curtains 
for protection during the winter; in 
other states an ideal rabbitry should 



a method which enables one to bed 
rabbits in our self-cleaning hutches 
and they still maintain their self- 
cleaning efficiency. The real merit of 
self-cleaning hutches is that the floors 
are always dry; the principle of these 
hutches is in the spaced floors. Many 
improvements have been made since 
the first ones we built. 

The required floor space for a sin- 
gle doe and litter is 2% by 4 feet. 
Many breeders do not give their ani- 
mals this much space but a smaller 
space will not allow the room really 
necessary for the young to grow as 
they should, bucks also require this 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



much space on account of their ac- 
tiveness. The height should be no 
less than 18 inches in front to 1 foot 
in the rear; more height is better. 
Always make your hutches wide and 
narrow^meaning 4 feet from side to 
side and 2i/^ feet from front to back. 
The reason for this is that you can 
reach in and grasp the rabbit with- 
out having to get a pole or some other 
instrument to enable you to catch the 
rabbit. Then, too, if you make solid 
floors you can give the floors the 
proper slant, which is 3 inches, slant- 



A doe should never be bred under 
7 months of age, while 8 months is 
better. The same applies to the buck, 
and I do not advise breeding does 
oftener than every 10 weeks. Breed 
the doe when her young are 6 weeks 
old, leave the young with her another 
week, wean them and give the doe 
the other three weeks to herself. 

The big mistake or rather one of 
the big mistakes that the beginner 
makes is weaning the young too 
young; most of them believe that the 
young should be weaned at 4 weeks, 




THIS CUT SHOWS HOW YOUNG NEW ZEALANDS GROW 
Their ages are one, two and three months 



ing from the back of the hutch towards 
the front. 

There is but one way that you can 
raise rabbits on the ground and that 
is by moving the pen to new ground 
every week or so, for if rabbits are 
left too long in one place the Coccida 
germ begins to breed and coccidossis 
is deadly to rabbits. This germ breeds 
in the fllth that accumulates, or in 
the poisoned ground caused from the 
continual urinating of the rabbits. 
BREEDING 

The most important thing to bear 
in mind in breeding rabbits is nature, 
the nearer you can follow nature the 
better. 



a great mistake this and one that 
amounts to total loss. 

In breeding the doe always take her 
to the buck hutch, place her with him 
for a few minutes, if she refuses to 
breed remove her and try her again 
the next day, and so on until she 
breeds. There is no positive way of 
telling when the doe is ready to 
breed, with the exception of the en- 
larged appearance of the external or- 
gan and sometimes she will appear 
restless. 

One service from the buck is suf- 
ficient. We do what we call testing, 
that is, five days after the doe breeds 
we try her to the buck again. If she 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



whines we are sure that she is bred. 
If she is not bred she will probably 
accept service again. 

It is a wise plan never to breed old 
does to old bucks but old does to 
young bucks, and young does to old 
bucks. 

The value of a good buck can not 
be overestimated. If you have some 
fair stock you can greatly improve 
same by purchasing a first class buck. 
If it is exhibition stock you have, then 
it is up to you to purchase the very 
finest buck that you can afford. Our 
buck, "Gilmore's Red Wonder," pro- 
duced over $1000.00 worth of stock. 
His value was $50.00, so you see how 
profitable a good buck is. This was 
during the year of 1916. 

The natural breeding time of the 
rabbit is during the spring months, 
although they breed during every 
month of the year; they do not, how- 
ever, breed as readily during the last 
six months of the year as they do the 
first. 

The average useful life of a rabbit 
is four years, after this age they gen- 
erally produce inferior offspring. 

The proper way to carry a doe to 
the buck hutch is to grasp her by the 
loose skin on the back of the neck; 
never handle them by the ears. 

If a doe proves stubborn about 
breeding, place her in a hutch which 
a buck has previously occupied and 
feed her on soaked peas; do this for 
two or three days. 

Never let your bucks serve more 
than three does a week; two would be 
better. If a buck appears to take no 
interest in a doe when placed with 
him he is either too fat, too old, or 
perhaps too young. 

FEEDING 

Feeding is very important and it re- 
quires quite a little time and practice 
to become an efficient feeder. 

One of the reasons why rabbits are 
becoming so popular is the fact that 
the food that they require is much less 
expensive than that required by chick- 
ens or pigeons. Rabbits wiil exist 
on green feed alone, but results ob- 



tained from feeding green feed alone 
are never satisfactory, especially with 
the youngsters. This is where the 
old idea comes in that rabbits do not 
require water. If you feed nothing but 
greens, then they do not require 
water, but if fed properly they 
should always have water before them. 

Feed mornings either carrots, rolled 
barley or mash; at night, alfalfa hay 
and greens. We only feed twice a day. 
We have found the mash to be much 
more reasonable than rolled barley and 
we get the same if not better results. 
One large carrot will make a good 
breakfast for a rabbit. As to the 
greens fed at night with the hay, I 
will say that we have tried almost 
every kind of greens known and we 
have found that the ideal green feed 
for rabbits is chicory. Alfileria is 
also splendid, Swiss chard is another 
good green — in fact nearly all kinds 
of grasses or vegetables are good. We 
only advise against feeding cabbage, 
kale or cauliflower. These greens are 
too severe on the kidneys and will 
bloat. They also give the rabbitry 
an awful odor. 

The question asked by all begin- 
ners is "How much do I feed?" I 
have suggested a handful of this and 
a handful of that, but I find that 
there is considerable difference in 
some people's idea of a handful. So 
to be more exact I made up the fol- 
lowing table of weights: 

Feed required for one rabbit over 
five months of age per day: Mash 
3 ounces, or rolled barley or oats 2i/^ 
ounces, alfalfa hay 5 ounces, green 
feed 10 ounces. 

For a doe with six young, one month 
old: Mash 14 ounces, or rolled barley 
or oats 12 ounces, hay 14 ounces, 
greens 1% pounds. 

Doe with six young, two months old: 
Mash 28 ounces, barley or oats 28 
ounces, hay 1 pound, 2 ounces; greens 
2^/2 pounds. 

The above table is just what is re- 
quired for a good healthy growth, but 
if they are to be raised for market, 
mash and hay may be before them at 
all times. 

Now that I have given you the food 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



staples, etc., let us get down to food 
costs. I am going to reprint the fol- 
lowing by Mr. C. 1. Hunt of Hunt, 
New York: 

"In a recent test to determine the 
exact cost of raising rabbits for meat 
purposes we took twenty-two and 
placed them in a run by themselves, 
keeping a strict account of all feed 
used. The result is shown herein. 
The twenty-two weighed 118 pounds 
when sold and brought $20.31. Ex- 
penses: Feed, $7.08; express and com- 
mission, $4.43; total cost, $11.51; leav- 
ing a net profit of $8.80, or 40 cents 
each. Had they been sold at home 
they would have brought a net profit 
of $13.23 or 60 cents each. The feed 
cost to produce live weight was 6 
cents a pound." 

We figure on 11 cents per pound for 
dressed stock which sells for 35 cents 
per pound on the local market. 

The food cost depends altogether on 
where you live. In some places al- 
falfa hay is twice the price it is in 
other places; then, too, If you can 
raise some of your feed this will bring 
the feed cost down. 

Most breeders feed too much; this 
causes waste and makes the breeding 
stock too fat and fat breeders give 
very poor returns. It is a hard matter 
to feed a doe with young too mucli 
hay or mash, but be careful in feed- 
ing other stock, and don't overfeed for 
the sake of your pocketbook and the 
rabbits. 

GENERAL CARE 

In the general care of your rabbits 
just keep in mind these essentials: 
sanitation, cleanliness, pure fresh wa- 
ter, regular feeding, proper breeding, 
small litters, weaning at the proper 
age and pure fresh air. 

The rabbit is naturally a very dainty 
animal and you cannot raise them un- 
der the same conditions and with the 
same disregard to sanitation often 
shown a hog. Do not overlook the 
fact that disinfecting is very import- 
ant. We have a large spray pump and 
once a week we go over the entire 
rabbitry, using a good strong disinfect- 
ant. For this we have found Mayhew's 



exceptionally good, on account of its 
non-poisonous character. Good slaked 
lime should be sprinkled on the floors 
every time you clean the hutches. 
(This is of course unnecessary in our 
self-cleaning hutches, although even 
these should be sprayed good every 
week or so). Keep the ground clean 
around the hutches, also whitewash 
your hutches inside and out; this will 
give them a much better appearance, 
make them lighter and will keep down 
germ enemies. 

The very finest cure for rabbit ail- 
ments is "Prevention." Keep your 
stock under sanitary conditions, feed 
properly, etc., and you will need no 
"Rabbit Dope." In case a rabbit does 
become ill, exile it at once from the 
rest of the stock and use the best 
remedies obtainable. If a rabbit re- 
mains ill for more than a month with 
no signs of recovery, give it the axe. 
Snuffles is probably the most serious 
disease of the domesticated rabbit, 
with the exception of Coccida, which 
is very rare, being caused from very 
unsanitary quarters. Snuffles is either 
caused from poor air or comes from 
weak vitality; once this disease gets 
a good hold of the rabbit there is 
nothing that will cure it. Ear Canker 
is the most common disease of rab- 
bits; it is a little parasite that can be 
seen with the naked eye if you look 
closely enough. This parasite eats 
the lining of the inner side of the ears, 
causing it to scab. This is very easily 
cured and generally requires about 
two applications of a good remedy. 

One thing that breeders do not pay 
enough attention to is the nest box. 
This is very important inasmuch as it 
broods, so to speak, the little rabbits. 
First it must be large enough, 12xl2x 
18, is a good size. Second, the open- 
ing must be made so that the little 
fellows cannot be dragged out by 
holding on their mother's teats. Make 
it no less than 5 inches up from the 
floor and no less than 4 inches wide, 
have the lid on hinges or a nail in one 
corner so that it will swing around. 
Use good nesting material. We have 
tried about everything and find com- 
mon engine waste about the best 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



thing yet. Never use alfalfa or clover 
hay. Good oat stravi^ is good. In win- 
ter time fold a burlap sack and place 
over the bottom, also place four or 
five old newspapers under the sack. 
Cold, as you know, ccmes up from 
underneath. I will venture to say that 
thousands upon thousands of little rab- 
bits are frozen every winter because 
the breeder does not know the import- 
ance of the proper care of the nest 
box. 

CARE OF YOUNG 
As I have previously stated, two 
things, in fact, the two most important 
things to do in raising rabbits is to 
not let the doe raise over six young 
and not to wean said young under 
seven weeks of age. If you follow 



and by the time they are seven weeks 
old there will probably be four or five 
left, which will weigh about half as 
much as the other five litter. I do not 
insinuate that it is impossible to raise 
litters of 10 with one doe. It is quite 
possible, but I am basing my writing 
on what is generally the case. 

The first two weeks of a rabbit's 
life are the most important of its 
whole life practically speaking, and it 
is altogether how you care for the 
mother whether or not it will receive 
the proper start. Begin when the doe 
is bred, feed her well and be sure that 
she has green feed, for if she is not 
ii"d greens when she is pregnant said 
greens will not agree as well with the 
youngsters. Whf^n tlie liUle fellows 




SIX GILMORE FARM NEW ZEALAND YOUNGSTERS 
Age two niontiis. Average weight 4 1 /4 lbs. 



this rule you will have very little 
trouble in raising your young rabbits. 
This knowledge alone is worth many 
times the price of this book, because 
these are two of the greatest secrets 
of successful rabbit raising. Many do 
not like to cut down the litters, claim- 
ing that "I am just raising them for 
meat." Gentle reader, if they only 
knew that if they were to take two 
does, place them side by side, breed 
them the same day, let one doe have 
ten and the other have five, at the end 
of two months the five would weigh 
more pounds than the whole litter of 
ten and the chances are 5 to 1 that 
when the ten litter were about one 
month old they will begin to kick off 
from apparently no reason, caused 
Irom tlie lack of enough nourishment. 



are born begin feeding the doe heav- 
ily, using plenty of greens (a good 
sized handful night and morning), 
keep mash before her all day and give 
plenty of good hay. When the little 
fellows begin to come out of the nest 
box feed less greens, otherwise make 
no change in the feed, only to give 
more mash or grain and hay. Clean 
out the nest box on the 14th day and 
re-bed with good clean straw. 

NURSE DOES 

Let us suppose that you have a very 
fine doe which you have purchased 
from some big breeder, said doe has 
ten youngsters. It is a hard matter 
to have to cut this litter down to 4 
or .5 youngsters. Now the way we get 
around that is to l)reed an ordinary 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



doe at the same time that the fine 
doe is bred, in a day or so after they 
have both kindled we destroy the 
young of the ordinary doe and give 
her half of the fine doe's litter. It 
is always best to do this about 8 
o'clock in the morning, as the nurse 
doe will probably not go into her nest 



box until that evening when she feeds 
them. By this time they have taken 
on the scent of her nest box, and she 
cannot tell the difference. Some 
breeders put a little eucalyptus oil on 
her nose, but I have never done this. 
So far I have had very little trouble 
in getting the foster mother doe to 
take the young. 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



The New Zealand Reds are, strictly 
speaking, business rabbits for general 
or utility purposes. They do not be- 
long to the ornamental classes, yet 



bit we were raising. At the present 
time they are the most popular rabbit 
in the country. Why? Well, let us 
see. 



itmore <:Jarm 
feu} jLeaizirT,<L-^ 



//ijife-^. 





4 



THE FOUR NEW ZEALANDS WINNING "BEST DISPLAY" OF 
NEW ZEALANDS AT THE "WORLD'S FAIR," 
SAN FRANCISCO, 1915. 
They are "Gilniorc's Red Wonder, "Wai Apoo," "Princess Zealand" and "Gibson Girl 



they are among the most beautiful of 
breeds. Their bright reddish buff col- 
oring, their big hazel eyes and hand- 
some type makes them a much ad- 
mired rabbit. 

The New Zealand is practically a 
new rabbit in the American fancy; it 
was only about three years ago that 
we organized the New Zealand Red 
Club and began to inform the Amer- 
ican public just what an excellent rab- 



First. As exhibition rabbits they 
are u n e c i u a 1 e d ; they are by no 
means an easy breed from which to 
produce 90 per cent animals, which 
makes them all the more favored as 
an exhibition rabbit. 

Second. The prices obtained for 
good exhibition specimens makes them 
very profitable. 

Third. The fact that they are a new 
breed makes the breeding stock branch 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



very profitable. Veryfew of we breed- 
ers can supply the demand for our 
stock. Last year we ran over 200 
animals short of our orders, averag- 
ing them at $5.00 each means quite a 
little money. 

Fourth. As a market rabbit they 
are par excellence; practically all the 
large rabbit breeders around Los An- 
geles, which has the best rabbit mar- 
ket in America, breed New Zealands. 

Fifth. They mature rapidly, making 
fine fryers at from 7 to 10 weeks. 

Sixth. They are medium boned, 
making them superior as fryers, for, 
taking a larger rabbit when the young 
begin to grow they must grow a big 
frame, consequently when dressed at 
eight weeks you have much bone and 
little meat. New Zealands are very 
plump. 

Seventh. They breed very true to 
color. It is most discouraging to find 
that your thoroughbred doe of some 
other breed has several dilferent col- 
ors in her litter. This is especially so 
if you are selling exhibition stock. 
Pure bred New Zealands never throw 
off colored animals. 

Eighth. They are a very quiet 
breed, consequently they take on flesh 
very rapidly. 

Ninth. The bucks', with very few 
exceptions, can be raised together 
without tearing each other to pieces 
until they are 7 months old. This 
means a great saving of hutch space 
as well as of extra work. 

Tenth. The flesh is of fine grained 
texture and very juicy. 

Eleventh. The fur of the New Zea- 
land is coming in demand, being used 
for imitation Red Fox. We have seen 
a great deal of it on the streets this 
winter. One fur house put out sev- 
eral hundred sets this year. 

The National New Zealand Red Rab- 
bit Club has been a great factor in in- 
troducing this rabbit. Three years ago 
little was known of the breed outside 
of California. If you are interested 
in New Zealands you should by all 
means belong to this club as it is "The 
power behind the Throne," and by be- 
coming a member you are adding your 



bit to the progress and prosperity of 
the breed. Application can be made 
by dropping me (who happens to be 
the secretary) a card. The dues are 
but one dollar a year. 

WHAT WE KNOW OF ITS ORIGIN 

The first New Zealands we have 
record of in this country were im- 
ported by John Henry Snyder of San 
Francisco in 1906. When he returned 
from New Zealand he brought four 
does and a buck with him. Later we 
learned of a Mr. Henry of Los An- 
geles who also imported a large 
number. 

When we first introduced this rab- 
bit to the fancy we were met with the 
usual opposition that always greets 
anything new; in the April, 1915, num- 
ber of "Domestic Pets," a Mr. M. H. 
Branning, who had taken up the breed- 
ing of the New Zealands, wrote an 
article about them and incidentally 
mentioned that the first specimens 
were imported intO' California in 1906. 
This article drew forth considerable 
comment from those who were ac- 
quainted with the Sport Belgian and 
Golden Fawn, which are of a buff 
color. They were wont to believe 
that they were all one and the same 
rabbit. Some of these parties wrO'te 
Mr. Branning, stating fl^atly that he 
was mistaken. Mr. Branning then sat 
down and wrote to Mr. Jas. Duncan, 
Acting Director of the Department of 
Agriculture of the Dominion of New 
Zealand and the following is the reply 
he received: 

In His Majesty's Service. 

Dominion of New Zealand, Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Industries, and 
Commerce. Advice on Field Crops 
— Inspection of Rabbits. 

Wellington, Jime 17, 1915. 
Mr. M. H. Branning, Los Angeles, Cal. 
The New Zealand Red Rabbit 
I am in receipt of your letter of the 
7th ultimo with reference to the above. 
The description you give of the rab- 
bit coincides with the rabbit known 
in the southern part of this Dominion 
as the Otago rabbit. It is largely ex- 



10 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



ported in a frozen state to Great Brit- 
ain. Last year there were 105,752 
crates of rabbits shipped away from 
here. In addition to this there are 
two tinning factories tliat make up the 
flesh of the rabbit. 

This Rabbit was originally imported 
into this country in the early days 
from Scotland and was known as the 
Scotch Rabbit. 

(He then goes on to tell how they 
breed and so forth and signs himself) 
Jas. Duncan, Acting Director. 

This letter is in my possession and 
can be seen by any one at any time. 

The first or original New Zealands 
were of a much lighter color than are 
the ones that we have today, in fact 
there are almost four shades between 
the ones of four years ago and the 
ones of today. They also weighed 
about seven pounds, but were ex- 
tremely hardy and healthy. 

As you will note, Mr. Duncan states 
that the original specimens were im- 
ported from Scotland to New Zealand. 
Now just what cross the Scotlanders 
made to produce this rabbit we could 
not say, but it is very evident that the 
cross was well established, for the 
pure bred New Zealands never throw 
"Sports" as do our other crossed or 
made rabbits. 

(Note. — A "sport" is an animal of 
different color than its parents). 



HOW TO JUDGE NEW ZEALAND 
REDS 



Describing the standard of perfec 
tion as arranged by C. P. Gilmore and 
Judge C. S. Gibson and adopted by the 
National New Zealand Red Rabbit 
Club and the National Rabbit and Pet 
Stock Association, July, 1916. 

(Please bear in mind that the fol- 
lowing is a description of the perfect 
New Zealand Red Rabbit, of which 
there are none. We are striving to 
produce such an animal or animals and 
consequently the closer we are able 
to approach this 100 per cent animal 
the more valuable is the specimen). 



Disqualifications 

First, what are disqualifications? 
Disqualifications are deformities, for- 
eign coloring and faking. 

The disqualifications of the National 
N. Z. Club and N. P. S. A. standard 
are: Lop ear (fallen), crooked feet, 
other than hazel eyes, wry tail 
(crooked), white bars on front feet, 
faking on the ages of juniors in the 
junior class, plucking or dying. 

Lopped ear is a case of an ear over 
which the rabbit has lost control and 
is caused by hot weather. It hangs 
down to one side and gives the rab- 
bit rather a lop-sided appearance. 
Crooked feet does not mean flat feet 
or feet which lay flat from the first 
joint to the toes on front feet but feet 
that turn out to one side, but while 
flat feet is not a disqualification it 
will count against a specimen on the 
judging table. White bars on front 
feet means two small stripes of white 
running around the front feet about 
at the joints. This is of course on 
the front side, faint fiakes are not a 
disqualification, but are not desired 
in the perfect animal. Faking on the 
age of juniors in the junior class, this 
means entering specimens that are 
over six months of age in this class 
and faking their age on the entry 
blank. Plucking means pulling out 
patches of white or black hairs. Dye- 
ing means using dye to try and color 
up white cr black to produce even 
color. 

Standard Weights 

The standard weights of the New 
Zealand Red are as follows: 

414 pounds at 3 months. 

6 pounds at 5 months. 

8 pounds at 8 months. 

Does 10 pounds at 12 months. 

Bucks 9 pounds at 12 months. 

As a rule the animals are not fully 
developed until they are about 16 
months of age. Does develop consid- 
erably after breeding. In order to 
produce standard weights not more 
than five young can be left with the 
doe and four is better; our average is 
four and with our best grade of stock 
three is the limit. 

In using the score card, cuts of 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



11 



Vs to 8 are to be made on under- 
weight animals. There is no cut for 
overweight, but specimens over ten 
pounds at maturity are generally fat, 
which will count against them in com- 
parison judging. 

Head 

Medium full and shapely. Color to 
match body, color with as little white 
under jaw as possible. Points 5. Cuts 
that may be made V2 to 3. 

Medium full and shapely. Now this 
does not mean thin or full; it means 



white under jaw is not wanted in the 
100 per cent perfect animals. 

Ears 

Erectly carried, medium thick, 5 to 
5% inches long, color to match body, 
color free from black lacing 10 points. 
Cuts that may be made % to 6. 

Erectly carried is plain enough in 
itself. Some rabbits carry their ears 
as though about half inclined to have 
lop ear, and while this is not a dis- 
qualification, it is not desired in the 





"JOHN BUNNY" 
This old buck, now deceased, is the sfud that put the type 
in the Gilmore Farm New Zealand Reds. His color was 
very poor. 



just what it says, medium. We do not 
want a Flemish or a Belgian head on 
the New Zealand but a New Zealand 
head. The head of the buck is some- 
what shorter in length and broader 
between the eyes than that of the 
doe. The lines should be clean cut. 
As to color it should be the same as 
the body color, but owing to the fact 
that nearly all present day animals 
have white under jaw the provision, 
"with as little white under jaw as 
possible,'' is placed in the standard. 
This is to let the breeder know that 



perfect animal. As to shape of ears, 
I ask you to turn to the cut of 
"Rangiteria" and note his ears. They 
are a splendid example of a standard 
ear. The short bell-shaped ear is far 
from our standard ear and should be 
avoided. As to length they should be 
between 5 and 5i/^ inches, either under 
or over would be out of proportion. 

The color is to be the same as that 
of the body and free from black lacing. 
Black lacing is black hairs along the 
upper front edge of the ear. It will 



12 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



be some time before we get rid of this 
in our dark reddish buff animals. At 
present they all have it more or less. 
EYES 

Large, bright and hazel, with as 
small a white eye circle as possible. 
Score 5 points. Cuts that may be 
made i/^ to 3. 

Some rabbits have a small beady 
eye, others have a sort of an almond- 
shaped eye. These are undesirable, 
as the standard calls for a large, 
round, bright eye of hazel color, 
which is a shade of brown. The white 
eye circle, meaning the white hairs 
around the eye, is not desired and is 
to be as small as possible. 
LEGS AND FEET 

Strong and sti'aight, medium heavy 
bones. Color same as body color (all 




"GILMORE'S RED .WONDER" 

This is the buck that put tlie wonderful winning 

reddish buff color in the Qilmore Farm Strain 

of New Zealands. His type is very poor. 

four feet). Score 15 points. Cuts Vz 
to 6. 

Too often we see 9 or 10 pound New 
Zealands with legs that would look 
good on a 7 pound animal. They are 
small and spindly, tapering in at the 
first joint. So the New Standard was 
made to call for straight and strong, 
medium boned legs; not a Flemish 
leg, understand, but smaller on the 
same order. Color same as body, all 
four feet; this would mean that they 
are to be solid reddish buff with no 
white hairs to be seen, even where 
the bars now are. 

COLOR 

Reddish buff, carried well down to 




"PRINCESS ZEALAND" 
A doc of both good type and color 

the skin and evenly down over the 
sides and hind quarters, free from 
black or white hairs and not dark 
smudgy or light buff. Reddish cream 
belly color. Score 30 points. Cuts 
that may be made % to 10. 

Color as you will notice is allowed 
30 points in the score. This then 
makes color the most important thing 
in the standard, weight being next 
with 20 points. This is as it should 
be for in exhibition animals color is 
the big thing. You may have an ani- 
mal with good type and standard 
weight, but if it is poorly colored it 
will never stand a chance of winning 
in competition. 

New Zealand Red is somewhat de- 
ceiving, for the New Zealand is not a 
red rabbit on the order of a red Cavie. 
cow or horse. If it were, our stand- 
ard would call for cherry red or some- 





'RED RIDING H00D"-F1RST 

Prize doe Ventura, California, 1915, dam of 
"Rangiteria." 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



13 



thing like that, but it calls for reddish 
buff and to describe it ^YOuld be rather 
a hard proposition. The Red was 
given the breed as a "for short" name 
by Los Angeles breeders, and at the 
time it was given them they were a 
long ways from being even red- 
dish buff, let alone red. However, as 
the name Red is so well established 
it will have to be let go as it is. Red- 
dish buff is neither red nor buff; 
should you take some dark red paint 
and some buff and mix them you would 
have the New Zealand color. Some 
of the present day New Zealands run 
very dark, but they show blackish or 
smudgy color, principally on the head 
and ears and on the haunches. At 
first glance this blackish color cannot 
be noticed, but if you look closer it 
can be plainly seen. Then again in 
the lighter animals there are the 
white hairs. These also can be seen 
only by close examination; these hairs 
will be found principally on the back 
and haunches. Looking at a New 
Zealand from its head it will appear 
much redder than looking at it from 
behind; there is something in the way 
that the hairs lay that makes this, also 
you will notice that they are much 
redder at twilight than in the bright- 
ness of day. 

If you are a novice with New Zea- 
lands, no doubt you will be very much 
disappointed with the first litter of 
youngsters born. They will appear 
very light in color, but you should 
know that ofttimes the lightest col- 
ored little fellows make the darkest 
colored animals when grown. They 
do not begin to get dark until they 
begin to molt out their baby coat, 
which is at about two months of age. 
From that on they darken until they 
are a year old, then if they are the 
non-fading kind they remain the same 
the rest of their lives, but if they are 
of the fading variety they will get 
lighter every year. Direct rays of the 
sun should of course be avoided if 
you wish to maintain the dark color. 

The color on the majority of New 
Zealands is mostly surface color. Tho 
standard calls for the reddish buff 
color to be carried down to the skin. 



this means that the same color that 
is on the surface should go the full 
length of the hair or be the same 
under the surface as on it. In poul- 
trydom this is called under color and 
is a very important factor, especially 
in such breeds as the Rhode Island 
Red and the Barred Plymouth Rock. 
The belly or under body color should 
be reddish cream, this comes with the 
red feet and legs, for the redder they 
are the better colored the belly will be. 
It would be impossible to produce red 
hind feet with white belly celor. 

SHAPE OR TYPE 

Body medium long ana medium 
broad fore and hind quarters, does to 
have even dewlap. Score 10 points. 
Cuts that may be made Vo to 6. 

In the cut of Princess Zealand is 
shown a good type of a Standard Bred 
New Zealand. Notice the depth of 
the body just behind the forelegs, 
then note a cut of a pure bred Bel- 
gian posing in the same position that 
she is. The belly line of the Belgian 
curves upward from the hind quarters 
to the neck, giving the animal a very 
racy appearance. 

The cut of Rangiteria gives one an 
idea of good New Zealand type; note 
the ears, they are 100 per cent in 
type. 

If the New Zealand has correct 
type they will weigh up to standard 
at maturity and will not appear fat, 
but if they haven't correct type they 
will have to be hog fat to come up to 
standard weight. The dew lap is a 
small growth of loose skin underneath 
the lower jaw, on the front of the 
neck, and the standard says that it 
should be carried evenly, meaning that 
a large pouchy dew lap or one that 
hangs to one side more than to the 
other is not desired. The dew lap on 
the does is larger than on the bucks. 

CONDITION 

Full in coat and solid flesh. Points 
.5. Cuts U to 3. 

For explanation of "Condition," see 
"Conditioning fcr the show room." 
MATING 

When mating your New Zealands 



14 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



keep in mind the disqualifications of 
the standard, providing of course that 
you are breeding 'for exhibition. No 
animal v/ith a disqualification should 
be used. If you have i fine colored 
buck with short ears and a doe that 
is not quite so well colored but that 
has fine ears, mate them and hold the 
liest results for your next breedings, 
etc. Always go over your does be- 
fore breeding and try and figure out 
just where they lack, then choose the 
buck that you think will bring up 
these points. Never breed a doe with 
poor type to a buck with the same 
failing. Never use animals that are 
not in good condition and strictly 
healthy. Do not breed from New Zea- 
lands that do not hold their color more 
than one year; if you have such ani- 
mals get a good non-fading buck from 
some reliable breeder who has non- 
fading New Zealands. 

LINE BREEDING 

The foremost breeders of live stock 
use line breeding in order to preserve 
and yet at the same time improve the 
blood of their best stock. A beginner 
wishing to establish line breeding 
should select the very best pair or 
trio that he can afford to buy from 
some well known reliable breeder 
who has line bred for years, always 
selecting quality in preference to 
quantity. 

The young from this pair will be 50 
per cent male blood and 50 per cent 
female blood. Now select your best 
does from the litters and mate them 
back to the sire. The young from this 
mating will be % male blood and ''■A 
female blood. At the same time mate 
the original or old doe to the best 
young buck raised which will give you 
% female blood and % male blood. 

Now you have rabbits from the two 
matings with % female blood on one 
side and % male blood on the other 
side. It is now a good policy to in- 
troduce new blood from the same 
strain by purchasing a good buck 
from the original owner of your foun- 
dation stock. Mate him to either lot 
of females and the young bucks and 
does from this mating can safely be 



crossed with either of the % blood 
lines, with little danger of weakening 
the vitality of the stock. 

Some breeders prefer to introduce 
the new blood tlirough the female side, 
thus keeping the strong male line un- 
broken. The original male is often 
mated to the third generation or % 
male blood does. 

If you intend to line breed you must 
make up your mind to keep a strict 
account of all your stock, for in no 
other way will you obtain results. 
There is no question but that line 
breeding is the greatest method to 
establish a prize winning strain. In 
poultrydom all such breeders as W. 
D. Holterman, E. B. Thompson, Lester 
Tompkins, Cecil Shepherd, Mrs. E. B. 
Martin, U. R. Fishel, John S. Martin 
and others who take a string of birds 
into the show room and come away 
with every first prize and in many in- 
stances every prize offered, all line 
breed; in no other way could they 
produce so many grand fowls. I have 
seen several fine New Zealands that 
were what we called chance matings. 
In one case 1 raised a beautiful young 
buck, I had great hopes of doing things 
with him, but, O me, O my, when his 
young were old enough to qualify they 
were sold as utility stock. 

In line breeding my own stock I 
had several different bloods to start 
with and by choosing the best of each 
litters for some five years I am able 
to keep within my own strain, for as 
you must understand the further 
away you get from your original mat- 
ing the easier it is to make your se- 
lections for mating. Not so long ago 
I went out for a buck and was fortji- 
nate enough to purchase a buck which 
came from the only other man in the 
country that I know of who line breeds 
New Zealands, thus I did not stand a 
chance of going back so to speak when 
I introduced new blood. 

Incidentally I might mention that 
the four first prize New Zealands at 
Los Angeles owned by me are of my 
line bred stock. 
PEDIGREEING AND REGISTERING 

Until just recently it has been a hard 
matter to purchase New Zealands 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



15 



with pedigrees extending back more 
than one generation. The reason for 
this is that the first breeders to talve 
them up paid no attention to their 
pedigree and consequently it has taken 
some time to establish strains of pedi- 
greed stock. I am often asked why 
purchasers wish a pedigree. The rea- 
son is this: Let us say that one 
wished to purchase a buck to improve 
his breeding stock, supposing that he 
purchased a youngster sired by Rangi- 
teria who in turn is sired by Gilmore's 
Red Wonder, now when you go to sell 
stock from this buck you can show 
that he has fine breeding back of 
him, the pedigree is really family his- 
tory and it is a question whether cer- 



ing every year and it is a good plan 
when purchasing exhibition stock to 
demand that it is sired and damed by 
registered animals. The fee for reg- 
istering is $10.00 per animal. 



CONDITIONING FOR THE SHOW 
ROOM 

If you wish to win in strong com- 
petition you must have your stock in 
proper condition. Conditioning is far 
more important than one would think, 
the finest rabbit in the world could 
not win if it were in poor condition. To 
begin with you must begin the day 




ONE OF OUR DOES, HER LITTER OF ELEVEN AND HER NURSE DOE 



tain stock came from high brow or 
low brow families. The pedigree gives 
the name of an animal's parents, 
grandparents and great grandparents 
on both sides. 

Registering is a guarantee of good 
stock; no animal can be registered un- 
less it is of good quality; an animal 
having disqualifications is barred. All 
animals must be pedigreed for three 
generations, which guarantees that it 
•is a pure bred. If you have an ani- 
mal which you wish to register write 
to the National Secretary, and ask him 
where the nearest registrar is to you. 
You ship the animal to this man for 
him to pass on and if favorable he will 
tattoo the official number in the ear. 
The name that you give this rabbit is 
then copyrighted. The demand for 
stock from registered stock is grow- 



that they are born and from then on 
they must receive the best of care. 
Never breed does until after your 
show season is over, for once you 
breed an exhibition doe it is almost 
impossible to get her in good show 
condition again. Nine months old 
makes fine Senior animals while bucks 
show up well for 18 months. We 
breed for our Seniors in February and 
do not use them until after the winter 
show season is over. 

About 30 or 40 days before the stock 
is to go to the show room begin to 
groom their coats. This is done by 
rubbing with the hands every day; 
put a few drops of glycerine on the 
hands and rub briskly, do not get too 
much for you will make the hair 
sticky. Then about 15 days before the 
show rub with a chamois skin or a 



16 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



silk handkerchief. Feed a teaspoon- 
ful of linseed meal every other day in 
their mash and be sure and give good 
greens, not too much but enough to 
keep their bowels in good condition.. 
These help to make the coat glossy. 
Never enter a New Zealand in bad 
molt, for remember that the judge 
judges the animal as it appears on 
his judging table, and not what it will 
be or has been. If the animal is in 
bad molt he cannot tell what it will 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 
By Hale Prather 

(Mr. Prather is the President of the 
National New Zealand Club, and one 
of the leading breeders and boosters 
of New Zealands in the country.) 

The New Zealand Rabbit, perfect in 
all sections as set forth in the new 
Standard of Perfection, has never been 
produced, in fact nothing has ever 
been produced that is much more than 




"PRINCESS ZELZAH" 

Winner of the silver cup awarded for best New Zealand in the Show at 

San Jose, October, 1916, a daughter of "Princess Zealand." 



be when fully molted out and could 
not give it first place over an animal 
in full coat. 

We began on the seven New Zea- 
lands entered at Los Angeles (1917) 
40 days before the show and spent 
from one to two hours every day 
working with them. Needless to say 
they were in splendid condition when 
placed on the judging table and said 
splendid condition helped them to win 
in such classy competition. 



a mere approximation of the stand- 
ard. Our idea in fixing a high stand- 
ard was that it would thus improve 
the rabbit more rapidly than would 
be the case If w^e set a low standard, 
which nearly all breeders in the coun- 
try could breed to without difficulty. 
A low standard also tends to lower 
the prices on the best specimens and 
to decrease the interest in breeding 
the variety. Under the standard 
which we now have, if a man produces 
a specimen that comes well up to the 
standard he will be able to get a price 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



[7 



for it that will pay him well for his 
trouble. It will be extremely difficult 
for any breeder to produce a perfect 
specimen for years to come as there 
are so many things that are sadly 
lacking in even the best specimens 
of the present time. The extremities 
are the hardest thing to get up to the 
standard. Several breeders have now 
produced a very good color on the 
body with creamy belly, but when it 
comes to having the color of the ears 
the same shade of red as the body and 
no black lacing on them, no white un- 
der the jaws, very little white around 
the eyes, no black or white hairs in 
the fur, and all four feet solid red 
without even flakes, let alone bars, they 
are sadly lacking as yet l)ut we are get- 
ting there slowly. If breeding simply 
amounted to mating a rabbit with ex- 
tra fine body color but lacking on feet 
and head color with a rabbit very 
strong in these points and having the 
litter come with the strong points of 
both sire and dam and none of the 
faults of either we would soon have 
perfection, but from sad experience I 
find the faults are just as apt to ap- 
pear in the offspring as the good 
points, in fact the young may have 
most of the bad points from both 
specimens and very little of the good. 

To breed high class specimens it is 
absolutely essential to have stock that 
is from higla scoring ancestors. I 
would rather use a specimen that was 
from winning parents and grandpa- 
rents if he has perfect health and 
vigor and no disqualifications, even if 
he does not approach the standard as 
close as another buck of great indi- 
vidual merit, the result af a chance 
mating, and no record of what kind of 
rabbits his ancestors were. It is sur- 
prising how the young will divert back 
to their parents and even stronger 
back to their grandparents. 

Also in breeding for exhibition 
points we must never lose sight for an 
instant of what the New Zealand rab- 
bit has been produced for, that of rais- 
ing a meat rabbit that will produce a 
maximum amount of white, Juicy meat 
in the shortest possible time. Even 
if a rabbit in my hutches has extra 



good color and all around fine points 
and does not show a quick and early 
development into a round meaty rab- 
bit considerably over standard weight 
at three months of age, I do not care 
to use him as a breeder. I am satis- 
fied that careful selection of quick ma- 
turing specimens as breeders will even- 
tually help us out greatly along this 
line. Investigation of the markets will 
show that the demand is for young 
rabbits weighing from 4 to 6 pounds, 
or about the right size for the ordi- 
nary family. Stock weighing over that 
is subject to a cut on the rate per 
pound and 10 and 12 pound specimens 
are not desired at all, in fact can hard- 
ly be forced upon the aealers. The 
breeder of market rabbits should mar- 
ket his stock at not over 4 months of 
age to get the most profit, and the 
rabbit that will produce the largest 
amount of meat at that age is what 
is wanted. With the larger breeds it 
is necessary during the first few 
months of their lives for them to use 
the feed they consume to build their 
big long frame and heavy bones, while 
the medium coupled, fine boned, Ne\v 
Zealand will begin to lay on the meat 
from the start. Take a 5 pound New 
Zealand Red and one of a heavier 
breed weighing the same and remove 
the meat from the bones and you will 
find there is considerable more meat 
on the New Zealand. In fact the other 
breed would have to be considerably 
heavier to equal the New Zealand in 
the matter of edible meat. 

From the above it can be readily 
seen that the New Zealand Red breed- 
er certainly has his work cut out for 
him, as there is room for improvement 
all along the line. The breeder that 
starts with good stock and is always 
striving for improvement will find a 
ready market for all his product at 
top notch prices, and as the New Zea- 
land rabbit gradually takes its proper 
place more and more in the economic 
life of the country the price of the 
best specimens will grow larger and 
larger. As proof of the prices that are 
being paid for the best New Zealand 
specimens even now, I would say that 
the buck that won first senior at the 



18 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



P. P. I. E. show has been sold for 
$40, and was worth every cent of it, 
and a like amount has been paid for 
the doe that won first senior at the 
same show. There Is certainly no 
danger of over production as I see it 
and the future of the wonderful New 
Zealand rabbit certainly looks bright. 

What is prettier than a nice bunch 
of New Zealands? No other breed can 
compare with them in looks and they 
are far ahead of chickens to eat. I 
find them very healthy. In my two 
years of raising New Zealands have 
lost but two with no other sick ones. 
For the party in town who wants to 
make money and have first class meat 
for their table at all times of the year, 
get a pair of New Zealands to start 
with and see how well you can do. 
New Zealands for me every time. 



WHY NOT NEW ZEALAND REDS 
By Fred M. Youngs 

(Mr. Youngs is a Director of the New 
Zealand Club and a pioneer breeder.) 

As a lover of pets, we have kept 
rabbits from boyhood. From a fancy 
and fad it has developed into a com- 
mercial sideline, which has added in- 
terest to our hobby by making it a 
paying pastime. We started with Bel- 
gian hares, and, like most fanciers, we 
became imbued with the frenzy to 
produce the standard of perfection; to 
get that desired slim, racy shape, deep 
Rufus red coloring, etc., and we 
thought we had attained some won- 
derful results, and from that stand- 
point we did, as have many other 
breeders. But what have we pro- 
duced? From my own experience I 
have found that this system of fine 
breeding has depreciated the com- 
mercial value of this once famous Bel- 
gian hare. From a hardy, prolific, 
meat-producing stock they have de- 
generated into a delicate, nervous, 
dainty thing of beauty, for show pur- 
poses only. 

About six years ago we secured a 
start in what has since become widely 
known as the New Zealand Red. From 
onr foregoing remarks we do not want 



to be understood that we do not be- 
lieve in improvement; we certainly 
do, but on broad, general lines that 
will enhance the commercial value as 
well as the fancy, and we stop at no 
expense in the selection of stock to 
bring about this result. We have 
found in the New Zealand a breed that 
meets with all requirements. 

Their own natural grace and beauty 
make them an attraction in the show. 
Today no pet stock show is complete 
without them. They are a great ad- 
vertisement for their exhibitors. At 
every show where I have exhibited my 
New Zealand stock I have received 
tempting offers, far in excess of my 
usual selling prices, and I know that 
every exhibitor of these beauties has 
completely sold out his surplus stock 
shortly after each show season. Ev- 
eryone who buys the New Zealands 
is delighted with them, and finds how 
true they breed to color. They im- 
mediately become members of the 
Boosters' Club in behalf of this favor- 
ite. They will enthusiastically tell you 
that they grow more rapidly than the 
Belgians and are larger at maturity. 
They are equal, if not superior, in fla- 
vor to the meat of any other breed. 
While the standard of perfection for 
this breed is not so easy to attain, 
the selected few always bring fancy 
prices, and the balance maintain a 
firm quotation as utility stock, which 
is the staple end of the business. 

The New Zealands are not shaped 
like a race-horse or dachshund, but 
are graceful and beautiful in both 
color and shape. They are not ner- 
vous and irritable, but domestic and 
contented. They are prolific, the does 
are good mothers and have large 
litters. 

The young develop quickly with 
small loss in mortality. They certain- 
ly meet all requirements, both in the 
fancy and commercial utility, and 
froni our experience we are convinced 
that without the utility the business 
of our rabbitry would not long sur- 
vive. 

A large per cent of those who buy 
stock want good healthy, hardy utility 
meat producers. They want good stock 



THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



19 



suitable for that purpose. They buy 
from a reputable oreeder whc adver- 
tises such. It is a satisfaction to 
please them and see them get results. 
I advertise in pet stock and poultry 
journals and good country weekly pa- 
pers. When I first started to adver- 
tise the New Zealand in connection 
with other breeds I got some inquir- 
ies, but sold few. To better intro- 
duce them I offered one as a premium 
to those who purchased a trio or more 
of any breed. This proved very suc- 
cessful, and in every instance I re- 
ceived orders for more New Zealands. 



bitry. The brooder house, which is 12 
feet by 50 feet, has windows on one 
side. We placed a row of hutches, 
three tiers high, in the center, and 
another row on the side, leaving a 
passage-way between the two rows of 
hutches, also between the center row 
and the windows. These windows are 
sliding and have wire in front so they 
can be opened fcr ventilation if nec- 
essary. The hutches are all wire ex- 
cept partitions and floor, thus giving 
plenty of light and air. My hutches 
are 2% by SVo feet by 25 inches higli 
and are so constructed that two can 




THE FOUR GILMORE FARM NEW ZEALANDS 
Winning all four first prizes and four silver cups for Best Display, Best Doe, Best Buck and Best 
New Zealand in the show at the Great Los Angeles Show, January, 1917. They are "Lady Perfection' 
"Qilmore's Pride," California Girl" and "Rangiteria." 



During the past two years I have add- 
ed to my breeding stock, but have 
never accumulated a surplus, often 
having orders booked ahead. Much Ol 
my stock has been shipped to eastern 
states. My profits have been greatly 
increased since taking up the New 
Zealand, and I am gradually working 
out of other breeds and hope to soon 
be an exclusive breeder of New 
Zealands. 

Before starting with rabbits com- 
mercially I raised chickens. I learned 
what it was tC' buy wheal and oth^i- 
high-priced grains by that time, fight 
pests, etc.. with much work and little 
profit. From chickens we save our at- 
tention to rabbits. We turned our 
brooder and other houses into a rab- 



be opened into one, or used separate- 
ly. The floor slightly slopes to the 
center, and in the center is an eight- 
inch wide wire floor, so that water 
or droppings will fall through from 
each tier to a galvanized pan under- 
neath. The other houses are simi- 
larly equipped, and 1 find this style 
of hutch sanitary and convenient. 

1 water twice a day in summer, and 
once in winter. In regard to prices 
charged for stock, that depends large- 
ly on the supply and demand, same 
as any other commodity. A breeder 
gives his time to the careful produc- 
tirn. as good standard bred stock 
should receive good prices. My prices 
range from $2.50 to $12 each, accord- 
ing to age and quality. I have stock 



20 THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 



which I have refused $25 for. The a great deal more satisfaction in 

best is none too good to breed from. ^°^,^. ^^°^\ ^ r, , ^ „ ,o 

Why not the New Zealand Red? 
for I find it more profitable and get They are the best. 




A CORNER OF THE RABBIT DISPLAY 
At the great Los Angeles Stiow, January, 1917 



iFinalp 



If this little book has awakened repaid. May it always be near at 

your interest in more and better New hand, a ready and reliable guide, and 

Zealand Reds it has accomplished with this wish I dedicate it to "The 

much, if it has added to your stock of Friends of The New Zealand Red 

knowledge of our favorites, 1 feel well Rabbit." 



LIBKHKY Oh CUNUKbbb 






002 846 741 2 




